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Virgin America Finally Gets the Hip Mobile App You’d Expect

Virgin America is known for its elegant, modern flying experience, but one thing it’s always lacked is a mobile app. That’s about to change.

The airline announced yesterday that it is launching a new mobile app that looks to be as hip as its purple mood lights.

The mobile app will feature a simple, fresh, and fun design that includes Virgin America’s purple and pink color palette and the same “cheeky avatars” from its website. It will perform all the standard features found on most airline apps, such as booking a flight, checking in, accessing boarding passes, receiving flight alerts, reviewing frequent flyer points balances, and more.

But Virgin America is turning its app up to eleven. The airline is extending its relationship with Spotify to include music playlists inspired by the traveler’s destination. Virgin America calls this “soundtrack for your journey” a first-of-its kind feature on an airline app.

Here’s a sample of the songs you might hear from Spotify on the Virgin America app:

Flying to New York City
Frank Sinatra – “New York, New York”
New York Dolls – “Subway Train”
Lou Reed – “Walk on the Wild Side”

Flying to Washington, D.C.
Public Enemy – “Fight the Power”
Bob Dylan – “The Times They Are A-Changin’”
Rage Against the Machine – “Take the Power Back”

The airlines have been competing to provide unique features on their mobile apps in order to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. The Delta Air Lines app, for instance, lets travelers track their bags from check-in to the carousel. Travelers can use United’s app to request an Uber ride.

Virgin America’s mobile app is launching in beta in the coming weeks, and members of the airline’s frequent flyer program, Elevate, can register for a chance to test it out. The final app is slated for release sometime this summer. It will be available for Apple and Android devices.

Virgin America’s flying experience offers a number of fancy, high-tech features, including touch-screen entertainment, seat-to-seat chat, Netflix streaming, and Wi-Fi on every plane in its fleet.